Bad commute

Hazardous material spill on Dan Ryan will delay evening rush hour

The local lanes on the outbound Dan Ryan Expressway remain closed going into the evening rush hour, following a hazardous material spill early Wednesday morning near 47th Street.

The southbound local lanes of the Dan Ryan are likely to remain shutdown after 5 p.m., said Roy Olson, a spokesman from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

IDOT officials are recommending that motorists use State Street or Lake Shore Drive as alternative routes to get around the local lane shutdown, Mr. Olson said.

The alternate routes won't guarantee a smooth ride home, however. "It's going to be a difficult commute," he said.

A truck carrying a hazardous substance overturned at about 6:45 a.m., throwing a monkey wrench into the morning drive and shutting down a section of the CTA Red Line near the accident scene. The truck was carrying a flammable substance used in making foam rubber.

The accident forced state officials to shut down the entire Dan Ryan inbound and outbound to traffic during the morning rush hour. The inbound expressway and the outbound express lanes were reopened by midday, as was service to the CTA Red Line.

This afternoon crews continued to clean the pavement and the area under an overpass on the southbound lanes of the Dan Ryan near 47th Street, Mr. Olson said. National Transportation officials also were reviewing the accident scene and cleanup, he said.